Idle Gossip
by dshell99
Summary: Edd's just trying to keep his head above water. Will he sink or swim in the waves of gossip that he can't get away from?


Edd cringed as his ear picked up the conversation occurring at the next table over.

"Then I had to tell her I wasn't paying anything over _$2_ for _that,"_ Nazz giggled as she dropped the box of files on the table and started distributing the work inside to their new coworkers. "You gotta hustle or be hustled!"

Jimmy lightly laughed as Sarah rolled her eyes.

_"What!?"_ Nazz snarked at her and Sarah sighed.

"You really went for a _discount_ over a pair of jeans _at the thrift store?"_ Sarah snarked back as she sat down and sorted the work Nazz had handed her.

_"Why not?!"_

Sarah gave her a disgusted look before putting her earbuds in and Edd smirked to himself.

"Not everyone is pinching pennies over bullshit," Eddy said as he walked by to come sit next to Edd and the smartest Ed chuckled while Nazz glared at them before Jimmy drew her attention away with a question about her kids.

For all of Eddy's greediness, no one really knew how economical he could be.

Except Double Dee.

They were best friends after all. And roommates. The latter of which was why Edd was seeing his oldest friend in the first place.

"Did it go through?" Edd asked as he paused the podcast on his phone.

"Yah," Eddy nodded as he ran a hand down his face.

"Mother is bringing a food box over after work," he said before snickering as Eddy perked up.

"Thank God," the short Ed sighed as he hunched over, elbows on his knees, head low, but Edd could feel the relief pouring off of him.

The first of the month was always tight with money as they had multiple bills coming in at once, the due dates following one after another. Edd's mother would always try to bring over a box of food from the church she attended, and there was their weekly Thursday dinner with Eddy's parents, but the help didn't do much to ease their anxiety.

_*ka-ching*_

The tone that came through Edd's earbud was familiar and all to infrequent.

Quickly pulling out his phone, he saw that Kevin had sent him $25 through his CashApp, but left no reason as to why.

"What's up?" Eddy asked with a bit of concern as Edd wasn't the type to be on his phone at work, unless it was his break or lunch.

"Kevin sent me some money," he whispered and Eddy's eyes lit up in such a way that Edd had to laugh because he hadn't seen that look on his best friend's face in ages.

"Say thank you and buy me lunch," Eddy hissed back as he scurried away because Edd's work leader was walking in.

Edd rolled his eyes and put his phone away.

"Everything ok?"

Edd looked up to see Nazz standing over him with a box of work in her hands. He merely shrugged in response as their work leader announced their output goals for the day.

* * *

Kevin: Just thought you could use the money

Edd his a grin behind his hand as he read the text again.

His boyfriend of the past year was currently back in his hometown, helping his uncle out by being the foreman on the roofing crew at the local high school's science annex. He wouldn't be back for at least another month so the past few weeks were spent occasionally texting and responding to each other's Facebook posts.

"What'd he say?" Eddy asked as he chomped down on his bologna and Cool Ranch Doritos sandwich he had brought from home.

"Just thought I could use the money. What do I say?"

Eddy looked into bright, confused but happy blue eyes and snorted.

"'Thanks. Do you want a spring or summer wedding?'"

Edd groaned as he leaned his forehead into his palm and Eddy laughed.

"Listen, man," Eddy began as he cleared his throat, but Edd focused on stirring his curry noodles. "Being in a relationship is about give and take. If he wants to help you out, _you let him."_

Edd looked up as Eddy nodded firmly at him and Ang walked up.

"You got my charger?" She asked as she came to stand next to Eddy and he pulled the cord out of his hoodie's pocket and handed it to her. "Hi, Dee."

Edd nodded at her as he texted Kevin back and she shot Eddy a look.

"His sugar daddy gave him some grub," he snickered and Ang grinned while Edd tried to curl in on himself.

"Aww, that's sweet!"

"What's sweet?"

They all turned to see Nazz and Jimmy standing behind Edd.

"Nothing," Edd said coldly before Ang or Eddy could open their mouths.

"Can't be having nobody sweet on you like that," Nazz chuckled as she walked away, Jimmy nearly tripping over himself to catch up.

"Not a word, you two."

Ang and Eddy snapped their heads back to Edd who was slipping his phone back into his jacket's pocket.

"I don't need the idle gossip."

Ang nodded before giving Eddy's stone faced cheek a kiss and walking away.

* * *

"Seriously, why don't you come with us?"

Sarah cocked a brow at Nazz and Edd shrugged.

"I have plans."

"Doing what?" She asked in a tone that implied that she didn't believe that he had a life of his own.

The cold look he gave her silenced the table for a good hour.

* * *

Nazz pulled into the parking lot of her Aunt's diner in Lemon Brook and hopped out of her car, but stopped short when she caught a glimpse of two very familiar hats that she'd never thought she'd ever see in the same place. But their owners rode away on a Harley before she could say or do anything.

* * *

When Edd walked into work the following Tuesday, he saw Nazz holding court at the work leader's workstation and the _knowing look_ she gave him that made everyone turn around and _stare_ at him made his heart seize.

The work leader looked him over before shaking her head and saying, "I'm not in on this."

Nazz didn't hold back though and walked up to him and said, "I saw you at Mitzi's Saturday."

His cheeks went red but the cold look in his eyes made her step back.

"And I know that you'd rather try to hustle a thrift store for some jeans. And that you tell your kids that they don't need a therapist when anyone with sense can see that they do. And that you see your cousin's ex on the weekends he doesn't have his kids."

She blanched at him, trying to stutter out a response, but their manager came out of her office to call their daily meeting and thus ended their conversation. Another department needing his accounting expertise put the kibosh on them speaking for the rest of the day.

* * *

"I can't believe you told her that!" Ang screamed with laughter as Edd stirred the rice in with the teriyaki veggies. "You didn't tell her who told _you,_ though, _right?"_

"Nah," Eddy grinned as he walked into the kitchen and gave Ang a quick kiss before heading to the fridge to pull out a beer. "He's not one for idle gossip."

Ang screamed with laughter again as the Ed's got a text that effectively shut up Nazz's gossiping ways for the next six months Edd had to work with her before getting a promotion as an accounting clerk for HR, the promotion shutting her up for good.

But knowing your baby daddy is best friends with the guy that gets your paychecks signed will do that.

Ed: Just got my discharge papers from my Ssgt. I'm coming home!


End file.
